You have probably heard of French polishing and are aware that it is a highly developed skill. If you have antiques it is certainly worth considering using the services of a professional to restore your dulling finish and add value to your pieces.

But, this is not the only option. The following tips will allow you to restore your antique furniture by yourself at home!

Check The Issue

Your furniture may look badly damaged but the scratch could simply be polished out with a coat of wipe on. To decide if this is the case apply a little mineral spirits to a cloth and then rub it across your antique furniture. If everything looks good with this coating on then you are in luck! Simply polish the table with an oil based wipe on finish.

If the mineral spirits does not make the furniture look good again you will need to do the following:

Cleaning

Before you administer any repair you need to ensure that the product you are repairing is not simply dirty! Wash it carefully with warm water and soap; it will not harm your furniture. You can use a soft sponge or even a paintbrush for smaller, intricate corners.

Deal With Cup Marks

Hot drinks which are placed directly onto the antique furniture will leave a white ring. These are unsightly but you can get rid of them.

Start by covering the affected area in petroleum jelly. This will need to left overnight to ensure the jelly has time to penetrate the top layer of the furniture. By the morning you should see the ring has either faded or gone altogether. You can repeat the treatment or use a specialized white ring remover to finish restoring the antique finish.

Removing Paint Splashes

You might be surprised at how common it is to find paint splashes on your furniture. Fortunately even if they have been there for a long time it is quite simple to get rid of them. To do this you need to take one razor blade and bend t slightly upwards. Add a little tape to each end to make it safe to hold. The downward curve of the blade goes against the furniture as you glide through the paint splashes; removing them without ever touching the actual wood yourself.

You can adjust the lean of your hands or the angle of the blade to bring the blade closer to the surface if needed.

Repairing the Antique Furniture

It can take years to become good at fixing furniture but patience and these tips will help you to successfully achieve your goal. One thing you might need to do is learn how to repair the gauges in the furniture

The procedure for doing this is to purchase epoxy wood filler. Clean the chip or other damage thoroughly before tearing off a piece of wood epoxy. You will need to roll the epoxy in your hand until it is mixed. This can then be applied to the gap in the finished work surface. It is best to shape the epoxy as closely as possible to the original shape of the furniture. You will then need to wait for the epoxy to set before you can shape it with sandpaper and then stain it to match the rest of the furniture.